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graphs      CLIMATE-UK.COM'S  REVIEW  OF  THE  BRITISH  METEOROLOGICAL  SCENE
     MONTHLY  SUMMARY
     No. 593       For     MAY      2005
         DRY IN THE SOUTH, PLENTIFUL SUNSHINE, SOME NOTABLE TEMPERATURE EXTREMES
Text Box: High pressure in the Iceland/Greenland region delivered cool but dry weather types to the UK between the 4th and 18th, but the anticyclone receded sufficiently to allow mainly cyclonic conditions over the British Isles from the 19th till the 28th. Mean monthly sea-level pressure was within 2 mbar of normal over the UK, but there were strong anomaly centres over southern Greenland and northern Scandinavia. The month opened with low pressure to the southwest of the UK and a warm southerly airflow in occupation. Thunderstorms occurred widely early on the 1st, and in many western and northern districts on the following two days - a tornado caused damage in Hoghton, near Blackburn, late on the 2nd, and there was flooding in Leeds on the 3rd following 41mm of rain in 2 hours - but there were also sunny spells. The 1st was very warm with an early-morning min of 15.1°C at Kenley (S London) and a max of 24.8°C at Herne Bay (Kent), but it became less warm over the next few days. A rather cold and showery NW-ly flow prevailed from the 4th-9th, some of the showers were heavy and accompanied by hail and thunder, and there were overnight ground frosts. A high pressure cell drifted east across the UK between the 10th and 12th, the showery activity diminished, most areas had prolonged sunshine by day, but nights were frosty. Early-morning minima included -3.8°C at Katesbridge (Co.Down) on the 10th and -4.1°C at Kinbrace (Sutherland) on the 13th. There followed a few days of easterly winds with further night frosts including a minimum of -2.7°C at Kinbrace again on the 14th, but it warmed up rapidly by day and Strathallan airfield (near Perth) reached 21.4°C on the afternoon of the 15th. Ronaldsway (Isle of Man) had over 105 hrs sunshine during the eight days ending on the 14th, but much of the West Country was cold and dull with outbreaks of rain from the 13th-15th, and the maximum at Cardinham (Cornwall) on the 14th was a mere 8.4°C. A renewed Arctic outbreak followed a southward-moving cold front on the 16th, and snow showers were reported in the Northern Isles and over the highlands. It became unseasonably cold again with Text Box: a maximum of just 5.5°C at Kirkwall (Orkney) on the 16th, and the frosty spell culminated early on the 18th with lows of -5.8°C at Dalwhinnie (Inverness-shire) and Altnaharra (Sutherland), and -6.3°C at Tulloch Bridge (Lochaber) - a new UK record for the date and the lowest in the UK this late in the season since 1956. The broad upper trough over western Europe now disrupted allowing a major change of type, and Atlantic depressions crossed Britain a frequent intervals between the 19th and 29th. After a wet day on the 19th the weather became very showery with thunder and hail in many places, and minor tornadoes were reported on the 21st in Somerset, Warwicks and Norfolk. Heavy rain affected northern and western parts of the UK on the 25th with 54.6mm in 24 hours at Sloy (Argyll), but it now became warm and humid over England and Wales for three days. On the 27th 30°C was reached across much of East Anglia and Southeast England, and the high of 31.4°C at Herne Bay was a new record for the date and the highest anywhere in the UK on any date in May since 1953; on the same day, however, Scotland and N.Ireland were cold and wet with maxima of 8-10°C. The last few days were rather cool with sunny spells and showers, the convective activity being especially vigorous in eastern England on the 30th when several small tornadoes were noted in East Anglia. Mean temperature ranged from 1.0 degC below normal in parts of north and west Scotland to 1 degC above in Southeast England, and overall it was the coolest May since 1996. Rainfall was above average in Scotland, N.Ireland, and scattered places in the far north of England and East Anglia, but less than half the normal amount of rain fell over much of the London area, Hampshire and Wiltshire, the middle Thames Valley and the southwest Midlands - locally here it was the seventh consecutive ‘dry’ month and the driest May for 14 years. Except in some south coast counties sunshine aggregates were generally above normal - by 20-25 per cent at scattered sites in the Midlands, eastern England and eastern Scotland.
                                                                                                                                         
                       TEMPERATURE                                SUNSHINE                             RAINFALL        
                                          &nbs